1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to clamping devices for releaseably clamping media discs such as hard disc platters and other media, including removable optical media, to a spindle during manufacturing inspection processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Clamping air bearing spindles are in widespread use in drive and storage media manufacturing. The media are secured and inspected by inserting a hub of the spindle through the media and activating the clamping mechanism of the hub. The clamping mechanism typically engages an outer face of the media to secure the media to the spindle, which is then rotated on the air bearing to position the media in an optical inspection path of the inspection system.
Existing spindle clamping mechanisms generate particulate due to the moving parts and contact with the optical media. The particulate can lead to data errors, and thus it is desirable to reduce the amount and impact of particulate deposition caused during the inspection process.